The final proposal for the resolution on Srebrenica is sent to the UN

The final proposal for a resolution on Srebrenica has been sent to the president of the United Nations General Assembly, Dennis Francis, and all permanent missions to the UN.

The announcement was made by the ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the UN, Zlatko Lagumxhija.

"After several rounds of comprehensive consultations, the final proposal for a resolution on the 'International Day of Reflection and Remembrance of the 1995 Srebrenica Genocide', drafted by a group of states, has been sent to the president of the General Assembly and all permanent missions in UN," he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

In the final proposal for the resolution, which was sent to Radio Free Europe by the Potoçari Memorial Center, the UN decision "to declare July 11 as the International Day of Remembrance of the Genocide in Srebrenica in 1995, will be marked every year."

The UN, as stated in the text, "condemns without reservation any denial of the genocide in Srebrenica as a historical fact and calls on member states to preserve the facts, including through educational systems, developing appropriate programs, but also as a sign of memory , in order to prevent the denial and distortion of facts, and the commission of genocide in the future".

The final proposal also states that the UN "unreservedly condemns actions that glorify those who have been convicted by international courts for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, including those responsible for the genocide in Srebrenica".

The text also emphasizes the importance of completing the process of finding and identifying the remains of the victims of the genocide in Srebrenica, so that they can be buried in a dignified manner, and calls for the continuation of the criminal prosecution of the perpetrators of the genocide in Srebrenica. who have not yet faced justice.

The resolution calls on "all states to respect their obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and customary international law on the prevention and punishment of genocide, respecting the relevant decisions of the International Court of Justice [ICJ]".

The UN Secretary-General is asked to "establish an information program entitled 'The Srebrenica Genocide and the UN'", which would start with activities and preparations for the 30th anniversary of the genocide in 2025, also asking secretary to draw the attention of all member states of this resolution, UN organizations and those of civil society to show due respect".

Also, the UN resolution "calls on all member states, organizations of the UN system and other international and regional organizations and civil society, including non-governmental organizations, academic institutions and other important participants to mark International Day, including special notes and activities to commemorate and honor the victims of the genocide in Srebrenica in 1995, as well as education and appropriate activities to increase public awareness".

In recent days, informal consultations have been held at the UN headquarters in New York on the draft resolution that aims to declare July 11 as the International Day of Remembrance of the Srebrenica Genocide.

As previously announced on the UN website, the permanent missions of Germany and Rwanda participated in the consultations on the draft resolution, along with the missions of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, the Netherlands, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, New Zealand, Slovenia, Turkey and the United States.

Meanwhile, on April 30, the UN Security Council held a session on Bosnia and Herzegovina at Russia's request. The session was held with the rationale to discuss the security situation and the risks of violating the Dayton Peace Agreement. Russia requested the holding of the session after the letter of Zhellka Cijanovic, the Serbian member of the Presidency of Bosnia, sent to the Security Council.

The hearing came as Serbia and politicians from the Republika Srpska entity in Bosnia, and their ally Russia, are lobbying against the adoption of a resolution on the Srebrenica genocide at the UN. Voting on this resolution in the General Assembly during May.

When the UN Security Council decided to adopt a resolution on the Srebrenica genocide nine years ago, Russia vetoed it and the adoption failed. This time, the resolution will be put to a vote in the General Assembly, where there is no right to veto.

Despite the decisions of international courts, Belgrade and the authorities in Republika Srpska deny that genocide was committed in Srebrenica in July 1995.

In 2007, the International Court of Justice in The Hague declared the crime committed in Srebrenica, where more than 8,000 men and boys were killed by the Republika Srpska Army, as genocide.

So far, more than 50 people have been sentenced to over 700 years in prison for genocide and other crimes committed in Srebrenica./ REL